Telescope Eyes
by dearjenna
Summary: Young Wybie has to save Coraline from the evil Beldam. This is actually based on the movie Coraline, not the book. Sorry if there are descrepencies I am unaware of. They don't have Coraline on the list, so I thought I would just go for the book.


**Author's Note: I was under the impression that this was going to be a simple one-shot story. But I believe that I am actually going to have to expand this past one chapter. So yay for y'all. You all get a longer story, haha. Hope you enjoy chapter one. (Oh, and yeah, I don't own _Coraline_.) And I'm on the official website for the movie, and I want the soundtrack now, haha.**

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Oh, you humor me today,  
Calling me out to play.  
With your telescope eyes, metal teeth,  
I can't be seen with you._  
-- "Telescope Eyes" By Eisley

Wybie knew something was wrong when he had not heard from Coraline. She kept talking about a door at her house that led to a magical world. He was not sure if she was losing her mind, but did know that what his grandmother has told him—or has refused to tell him—about her childhood was enough for him to believe that something creepy was going down in The Pink Palace. It was the middle of the night, and against his grandmother's better judgment, young Lovat hopped onto his bike, with his usually unusual gear and rode over to the Jones' flat. Sneaking in, he made his way to the room Coraline said had the door to the Other World and opened it carefully. A small glow was emitting from the other side, as if the door was left ajar out of carelessness. Wybie crawled through the small hole and peered through the crack. Nothing. No one. It seemed safe. Suddenly, he felt something move across his foot. He gasped, covering his mouth quickly, and looked behind him. It was his black cat. "Shoo!" Wybie begged, but the cat refused to budge. Peering into the feline's giant orbs for eyes, Wybie saw that the cat was looking back with a stern face. "Fine," he whispered. "Stubborn thing, you! You can help me find Coraline... But _keep quiet._"

The two of them made it through the door and into the Other World. "Hmm..." Wybie pulled out a flashlight and looked around the room, making sure not to step on any familiar boards that creaked back in Coraline's flat. "Where is everyone?" The room was like Coraline's sitting room: same couch, same fireplace, same wallpaper and carpet. The area was cold and dark; when the light hit the painting that hung above the mantle-piece of an ecstatic young boy eating an ice cream, Wybie could see a small tear in the canvas. Cobwebs and age had seemed to take over the room. "That's strange... Didn't Coraline say that this world was glittery or something?"  
"Actually," the cat replied, causing Wybie to jump in fear, "since Beldam has become infuriated by Coraline, her true colors are beginning to show. She may not have been ready for visitors; otherwise she probably would have been here waiting for you."  
"Wh-- Who... Who is Beldam?" Wybie asked with a shaky voice.  
The cat sighed, "Why, the Other Mother, of course. 'Beldam' is a charming nickname the lost children created."  
"What does this 'Other Mother' do? And who are the lost children?"  
"Were you not listening to Coraline that day?"  
"Sort of..."  
"This is the Other World. It is full of Other characters created by Beldam that are replicas of Coraline's life. The only difference: the Others are what Coraline wishes of all of them."  
"But how does she know what Coraline wants?"  
"She spies," the cat said bluntly. Wybie glanced back at the cat, awestruck.  
"I hate to ask this, but... Who are the lost children?"  
"The lost children," the cat said while scratching his ear, "are with Coraline. They are children from past years, captured by Beldam, that have, unfortunately, already died." He began licking his paw as though this were a casual conversation for him.  
"So, if we find Coraline, we will find the lost children?"  
"We should." The two circled the room once more, attempting to find some sort of clues. "What is the Other Wybie like?" the boy finally asked as they approached the sitting room doorway.  
"Quiet," the cat snickered. "I have to admit, I found that the most amusing."  
"Oh, _ha-ha_," Wybie dropped his head before breathing in deep and lurking into the hallway.

.~.-.~.

_"I'm Wybie. Wybie Lovat."  
"Wybie?"  
"Short for Wyborn. Not my idea, of course. What'd you get saddled with?"  
"I wasn't 'saddled' with anything. It's Coraline."  
"Caroline what?"  
"Coraline. Coraline Jones."  
"Hm. It's not real scientific, but I heard an ordinary name like Caroline can lead people to have ordinary expectations about a person."_

_..._

_"I think I heard something calling you... Wyborn."  
"What? I didn't hear anything."  
"Oh, I definitely heard someone... Why-were-you-born."_

.~.-.~.

The two stayed flush with the wall, hoping the shadows would blanket them from sight. They looked around. Still nothing. Wybie was growing more nervous. The house was damp and dark, and the lovely things that once filled the hall and sitting room were crippling under the mildew and lack of keep. The further the two got from the sitting room, however, the brighter everything became. In the kitchen, the soup that the Other Mother had been cooking was still smoking on the burner. "Mm..." Wybie moaned as they looked around the corner. "There's no telling what is actually in that soup," the cat scoffed.  
"Where do you think we should start?" Wybie asked.  
"I'm not sure..."  
"Haven't you been here before with Coraline?"  
"Yes I have," said the cat. He jumped onto the kitchen table as Wybie took a seat. Licking his paw, he looked around the room inquisitively. "We could always try and find the Other Father or the Other Wybie..."  
"Why would we do that?"  
"Because, truth be told, the Others do not actually like the Other Mother. Beldam is a horrible monster, and they all know it. Of course, there is little they can do about it, they are her slaves. I am sure with a little hope thrown their way they could find the courage to fight against her. If we found one of them, they could probably help us."  
"Who is more likely?"  
"I'm not sure," the cat jumped off the table. "The Other Wybie doesn't talk, so that should be saved for last. Let's try the Other Father first. He is at least caring and able to communicate with us."  
"Alright then. Where to?" Wybie stood up looking around with discernment and caution of his surroundings.  
"Let's try the garden."

Walking outside, a garden of immaculacy lit up with beautiful lights and flowers varying in shapes, sizes and colors. All plants opened up and moved into formation to show Coraline's face. Wybie was hypnotized by the accuracy and care given by someone's incomparably aesthetic green thumb. The moon was large and bright. The buzzing from a definite lawn mower was growing louder. "Where is that coming from?" Wybie wondered aloud. Soon enough, the Other Father appeared riding up on a mower and was waving frantically with a bright smile. "Howdy ho!" he shouted to the others. "Uh, hi," Wybie said. He walked over to the Other Father and the moonlight reflected off of his black button eyes. The boy could not stop staring. The cat nudged him. "That's the Other Father."  
"I know."  
"Hi, Wybie. Are you here to join us as well?" the Other Father asked.  
"Um, not really," Wybie said. The Other Father looked sad.  
"Well, what do you need? As you can see, I'm kind of busy."  
"Where is Coraline?" Wybie asked concerned. The Other Father mimicked that look of concernment. "I don't know." He got off the mower. His legs were barely strong enough to hold him up. He fell to the ground with a thump. "I couldn't tell you even if I knew."  
"Why?" Wybie asked. The Other Father pulled him down to the ground next to him and leaned in to whisper. "The Other Mother is listening," he said in a terrified tone.  
"Where is Beldam?" Wybie asked looking around nervously. The button-eyed man cringed at the sound of the name. "She is planning her attack on your dear friend." Wybie jumped up at hearing this. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to have any part in it! But I can't do anything to stop her! We all hate her. We all hate it here." The Other Father looked just as terrified as Wybie and the cat. His arms quickly went limp and the threads holding the buttons to his eyes began to loosen a little. "You have to hurry if you want to find her and save her! The Other Mother is ready for a fight. But if she does not get Coraline soon, this whole world will fall apart, and it's likely to trap your friend with it."

The cat and Wybie left the Other Father there and ran back into the house. The cat stopped and his fur began to stand on edge. "Do you smell that, Wybie?"  
"No? What?"  
"It's her."  
"How do you know?"  
"The air is always rank when she is near. I remember sensing her the last time I was with Coraline."  
"What do we do? Follow the smell?"  
"We need to find Coraline first. Chances are, wherever she is Beldam is bound to be anyway."


End file.
